


Breaking and Entering

by BuhoOwl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Breaking and Entering, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-07-22 19:06:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7450621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuhoOwl/pseuds/BuhoOwl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"anonymous asked:<br/>Pokemon Go Rumbelle- Belle cannot believe she and Ruby, both grown women, are this addicted to catching imaginary creatures. Belle finally found her favorite one of all (ur pick of pokemon)...It just so happens to be inside Mr.Gold's house. Only solution: break in and capture it."</p><p>-Formerly known as: Pokemon Gold fic (changed it several minutes after posting)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, I have a huge test coming up, but I saw this prompt on rumbelleprompt and I just couldn’t walk away. This will be at least a 2 parter. I wrote it in a hurry during my study break, so I’m sorry if it doesn’t turn out that great.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have never actually played the game; just seen friends play. No Beta, so sorry for any errors.

Belle French could not believe her current predicament. It had all started as harmless fun; a way to try to draw more people into the library. Friday was not a popular day at the library by any means. Finding a teenager rummaging the stacks was equivalent to social suicide. Although Belle could not truly understand why being caught in a library on a Friday was such a heinous act, she could at least sympathize with their teenage plight. She had long ago, given up on trying to come up with activities that tempted them to come to the _forbidden land_. This is why Belle could not believe her eyes when last Friday afternoon, her normally empty library, was suddenly pact. It seemed all of Storybrooke’s youth was crammed into the library. And when she took a closer look, it seemed there were even adults that had never even stepped foot in the library since its re-opening. She couldn’t understand what was occurring. And to add to this strange phenomenon, they all seemed to be taking part of some sort of strange ritual: waving their phones around and not making direct eye contact but at the same time interacting with everyone around them… how very odd!  


Later on, Belle discovered that a new interactive game had just been released, Pokémon Go. The library was lucky enough, to be assigned as a “Pokémon gym.” Seeing an opportunity to increase the library’s clientele, Belle didn’t hesitate to download the game and learn everything she could about it. She immediately ordered the library a copy of the latest Pokémon Books/Comic books and related literature, ceasing the opportunity to encourage the town’s youth in obtaining a library card. She even went as far as setting aside some of the library’s funds to create a media lounge, where anyone could reserve time to play the video games the library had available. It was perfect! And she had the people down at Nintendo to thank for giving her such a wonderful opportunity!  
Not even a day had passed since she downloaded the aforementioned game, that she started noticing more and more people using the game. People of all ages and some she never would have expected, walking around town looking for invisible mythical creatures. She even saw Archie walking Pongo, and trying to discretely look at his phone and swiping at the screen. Ruby, not one to be left behind in the latest trend and the talk of the town, downloaded the game and quickly roped Belle into walking far and wide looking for Pokémon. It was amazing how one game had managed to do what no other town event had: bring people together. She had never seen the parks so full, so many people out of their homes; it was all quite amazing.  


At first, Belle didn’t understand the hype of it all, but once she started actively participating and interacting with all those around her doing the same thing, felt the thrill when she managed to capture one before anyone else could…it all started becoming addicting. That is how Belle French, a fully grown 36 year old woman, found herself contemplating breaking and entering into a home. Not any home, mind you, the home of the most feared man in Storybrooke, the home of the one and only Mr.Gold (first name unknown). Belle, personally, thought the rumors surrounding the pawnbroker were quite exaggerated and unfair; but then again she wasn’t one of his tenants. The only real interaction she has had with said man, is when he stops by the library twice a week and briefly exchanges a quip or a sarcastic joke with her and quickly goes on his way. She has always been curious about him and secretly found him to be quite handsome. But she was sure that even the nicest person in Storybrooke would not react kindly to her breaking into their home. But then again it was a Pikachu! Her favorite Pokémon of all. Everyone has been searching far and wide trying to find this elusive Pokémon and SHE found it.  


Looking at the time, it was around 2pm. Mr.Gold should just be returning from lunch and re-opening his shop. This would give her plenty of time to sneak in and out without him ever knowing. Just imagining the look on Ruby’s face when she showed her what she found, encouraged her that this was a good plan. Lucky for her, during one of the low traffic days at the library, she had read how to pick a lock. She got on her knees and began the task at hand…  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  


It was Sunday afternoon and Gold was walking back to his shop, after eating lunch at Granny’s. He honestly wasn’t sure what was going on in this town. He has almost gotten trampled twice by people looking at their phones and walking blindly on the side walk. They didn’t even look up from their phones for more than two seconds to mumble an apology. He could have sworn he had seen Granny aiming her phone around the diner and mumbling something about “gotta catch them all” whatever that meant. Despite what the rest of Storybrooke believed, Mr.Gold was a man that enjoyed the simple things in life the most. He treasured his afternoon Sunday walks, after he closed his shop up at noon. They were the perfect way for him to unwind and prepare himself for the week ahead. If it also happened to to spot the town librarian as she went to Granny’s for afternoon tea, then it was just a happy coincidence. But it seemed today was not meant to be a pleasurable Sunday.  


For one, the sidewalks were crowded, causing him to dodge people in an attempt not trip and fall. He headed for Storybrooke Park and the crowds were even worse than in the center of town. He had no idea what was going on with the people of this strange town, but it seemed that they all decided to leave their homes and wander aimlessly around. Making his leisurely walk too much of a hassle. In a bad mood, Gold decided to head back to his home and salvage what remained of the day, after all it was only **2pm.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Beta and very little sleep (have big exam coming up soon).

As Mr.Gold approached his home, he noticed the front door was ajar. How very strange…he’s positive he locked it this morning. On closer inspection, he noticed there was a bobby pin jammed in the lock. Definitely a break in…maybe he could use this criminal to vent out some of his frustrations. He slowly limped inside his home, making sure not to make any noise with his cane, and grabbed his gun from the top drawer of the table by the front door. He carefully held the gun in front of him as he crept around his home trying to find the intruder. It was only when he was almost at the kitchen that he heard a triumphant _“Gotcha!_ coming from within. At first, Gold believed the intruder to be speaking to him, but as soon as he stood in the kitchen doorway, he realized this was not the case. The perpetrator appeared to be facing the other way and to be unarmed. Perfect, he could use the element of surprise in his favor.  
He stepped fully into the kitchen,

“Excuse me, dearie. But I believe you are going to regret having broken into my home” he spat, with the gun still raised. The intruder turned around and it was only then that he realized that his home burglar was none other than the librarian, Miss Belle French. He quickly lowered his gun and placed it on the table; he had no intention of harming _her_.

“What are you doing here?!” she squeeked as soon as she made eye contact with him.

“Dearie, I believe **I** should be the one asking **you** that.”

“Oh…ummm…yeah..uh..sorry. I’ll get out of your hair now, I already got what I came looking for.”

“So, not only do you break into my home but you blatantly admit to stealing from me?”

Belle was sure she was officially brain dead. She had no idea what she was saying. She could hear the words coming out of her mouth, but had no prior knowledge of what they would be. Belle could feel herself panicking and now Mr.Gold thought she was a thief! “NO! No…that is not what I meant!”

“Then, care to explain…”

“How do you know the door wasn’t unlocked?” Why did she say THAT? What is WRONG with her?

Gold reached into his pocket and showed her the bobby pin he found in the front door lock. 

“Oh…”  
Belle couldn’t find anything else to say. The evidence of her crime was sitting right in the palm of his hand. He could call the police and he’d have every right to press charges. It was then that she spotted the white porcelain teacup on the floor. She recalled hearing something falling in her quest to locate the Pokemon, but she hadn’t paid it much attention at the time…now she knew what the noise was. Her eyes widened when she spotted a very noticeable chip along the rim of the cup. She felt like crying. _What had she been thinking? How did this seem logical at the time?_ She rushed over to pick it up and looked up at Gold from her position by the floor and said “I’m sorry it’s chipped. You can hardly see it.” It was a complete lie but she didn’t know what else to say. She could feel her eyes watering and a mild panic attack coming on. Then, Gold looked at Belle with a mixture of amusement and confusion and responded, “It’s just a cup.”

Belle visibly relaxed and stood up as she carefully placed the teacup back on the kitchen table. She began taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

“You are an odd one, Miss French. I just caught you breaking and entering…possibly even stealing and you’re worked up over a chipped teacup?”

At this, Belle couldn’t help the hysterical laughter from bubbling out. _She must look deranged. She was just so nervous and had no way of justifying her actions without sounding insane. How did she ever, for a moment, believe this was a sane plan? What is wrong with her? Well, better to be believed insane than a burglar. Here goes nothing, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She could do this; the least he deserved was an explanation. He’ll believe her insane but at least she won’t be going to jail…hopefully. Do the brave thing and bravery will follow._

“You see, Mr.Gold. The library is usually empty on Fridays. Because who wants to hang out at a library on a day everyone tends to go out? I get it! But then last Friday, the library was full and it appeared that this new game you can download on your phone, Pokemon Go, was released and has gained tremendous popularity. It’s only been released in the US so far, but I was reading about it and it seems to be very popular among all age groups. I mean, if it even reached a small town like Storybrooke you can only imagine how big it has to be! It has only been available a couple of days, and look at all the people wandering the streets looking for Pokemon…they are these little creatures; the game allows you to capture in pokeballs. Apparently, the creators of said game designated the library as a gym, thus the reason so many people are now frequenting the library. Anyway, I saw this as the perfect opportunity…”

Gold stood watching Miss French as she tried to not hyperventilate but at the same time get through her explanation of the situation as quickly as possible. He was a little worried she might pass out on his kitchen floor, but at least she had ceased her hysterical laughter. Gold might have a crush on this woman, not that’d he be admitting it to anyone anytime soon, but he would have no idea how to comfort her if she had started crying; he hasn’t had to comfort a woman in quite some time. Not quite understanding everything the housebreaking librarian was saying, he had to interrupt her at the mention of a virtual gym for virtual animals…or whatever these poke-something were: “Hold up. Let me see if I understood correctly… a gym?! These virtual creatures require physical exercise at a GYM?”

“No, not exactly…nevermind, not important. Anyway, I saw this as perfect opportunity, to increase the library’s clientele. I used some of the funds assigned to the library to acquire literature related to these types of games. You should see the amount of new library card holders already!”

“That’s all very interesting Miss French, but how exactly does this relate to you using a bobby pin to trespass onto private property?” Mr.Gold interrupted her.

“Right, sorry I’m rambling. I’m just nervous and when I’m nervous I apparently can’t stop talking…”

“Miss French”

“Ok, ok. I’ll get to the point. So, I downloaded the game like so many other of the residents of Storybrooke, as a means to better understand the phenomena and to see how I could use it to help out the library. Thing is…the game is quite addictive. And there is this Pokemon, Pikachu, that everyone has been looking for and he happens to be my favorite one. So, I was walking around to see if I could find one, when I saw that there was a Pikachu inside your home and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass..it was a Pikachu!”

“A…pika what?

“Pikachu! Look how cute he is. Once you see how cute he is, you’ll understand.” Gold observed as Belle opened up an application on her phone and showed him a yellow mouse-like animal.

“Um…uh..he does seem to be rather… eh… cute- as you put it. But breaking into a house for a non-existent creature? Really, Miss French?” Mr.Gold didn’t know whether to laugh or to be upset. Belle’s mood seemed to have improved. She was so excited to show him her latest catch that she seemed to have forgotten their current predicament. Her joy over this yellow mouse thing with red cheeks, whose name sounded like a sneeze, was clearly visible on her face and she looked absolutely adorable. He had to get a hold of himself. He couldn’t act like some love sick fool, what kind of message would that send? It was enough that he was going to let her walk out of his home without any repercussions. He’d have to be careful how he handled this; he didn’t want all of Storybrooke believing it was okay to break into his home in pursuit of these things. THAT would be a nightmare!

“I know your right Mr.Gold. It was completely irrational of me and I have no idea what got into me. I’m sorry for ruining your quiet Sunday afternoon. And if you want to press charges, I completely understand.”

“That won’t be necessary, Miss French. Just make sure this does not happen again.”

“It won’t! Thank you for not calling the cops on me! Umm…I guess I should be going.”

“That would be best.”

He watched as Belle quickly made her way to the front door.

“Oh, Miss French”

“Yes?” she asked unsurely from the doorway.

“If there was any damage to my door, I expect you to assume the costs.” Of course he had no intentions of making her pay for the door, but he couldn’t let her know that.

“Of course. Goodbye, Mr.Gold” 

“Goodbye, Belle” he whispered once she was out of site and out of his home. He felt a strange sort of emptiness as he watched her retreating form. It was completely ridiculous; she wasn’t in his home to be with him. Belle was only trying to play a silly game. But still, he couldn’t help feeling some sort of longing. Why couldn’t he find a way to speak to her, outside of their very brief conversations at the library? He has been months, trying to come up with a way to approach the lovely Miss French outside of her work. Ironically, today he finally had his wish but it wasn’t under the circumstances he wanted it to be. Well, he’ll just have to keep thinking then.

Little did Mr.Gold know that the opportunity would present itself the next day with an early morning call…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I have a huge test coming up, but I saw this prompt on rumbelleprompt and I just couldn’t walk away. I started thinking it was only going to be 2 parts, but apparently it decided to grow. I'm guessing maybe 2 more chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have never actually played the game; just seen friends play. No Beta, so sorry for any errors.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phone conversation... (short chapter)  
> -To make it easier to follow, I have put Gold's lines in _italics_.  
>  Next chapter will be from Belle's POV.

As Mr.Gold was getting ready for work, the next morning, his cell phone began to ring. He smiled when he saw the name “Bae” flashing on the screen and answered it immediately.  


_“Hi, son”_

“Hey, Papa! I was calling to tell you that Emma has a work conference this weekend. So, Henry and I were thinking of coming down for a visit. If it’s ok with you of course”

_“Bae, please! Of course it’s okay with me. You know you can stay with me whenever you want.”_

“Ok, great! Wait, a moment…Henry wants to say hi”

“Hi, Grandpa!”

_“Henry, how are you? Anything new?”_

“Yeah, I’m playing this new game Pokemon Go and dad and I have been walking all over the city trying to catch Pokemon”

_“You too?!”_

“You’ve played?!”

_“No, but everyone in Storybrooke seems to be playing!”_

“Really? I saw on the news that there was an accident on the highway because I guy stopped to catch a Pikachu.”

_“Did you say Pikachu?”_

“Yeah, why?”

_“No reason. It’s just someone told me there was a Pikachu in my house”_

“WHAT?! Really?! Dad and I have been looking everywhere for one!”

_“Well maybe you’ll find one when you come down to visit”_

“Yeah, maybe…”

_“Well Henry, I’ve got to hang up now. I have to go open up the shop”_

“Okay, Grandpa. See you soon!”

_“Bye Henry”_

Gold ended the call with a smile on his face. Henry’s enthusiasm was close to Belle’s when speaking about the game… **wait, Belle!** He just thought of a brilliant excuse to approach the petite librarian. It seems he’ll have to add _dropping by the library_ to his list.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle and Ruby talk

_Takes place right after Belle rushes out of Mr.Gold’s pink Victorian._

Mr.Gold was never going to speak to her again. Well, if he did it would probably be in the same curt tone he used with all of his tenants. Gone were the biweekly cunning quips and sarcastic comments…Gone…all gone. Belle never knew how much she looked forward to Mr.Gold’s visits to the library until now that she most certainly lost them forever. He’ll probably try to exchange the least amount of words possible with the insane woman who broke into his house. She wouldn’t be surprised if he altogether opted to never step another foot into the library again. She really couldn’t blame him.

“What an idiot!” _bang_ “What were you thinking” _bang_ “Idiot” _bang_

“Hey, Belle! What’s the matter? Why are you banging your head against the table?” Ruby asked. “Oh wait…I know, you just realized you are never going to beat me at catching Pokemon. I did just catch a wild Bulbasaur” Ruby said a little smugly.

“No, that’s not it. I just caught a Pikachu. My problem is that I regret my life choices,” answered Belle without lifting her head from the table.

“YOU CAUGHT A PIKACHU?!”

At Ruby’s outburst, the whole dinner went eerily silent and when Belle slightly lifted her head from the table she could see some of the other diners glaring at her. It was obvious they were mad that they missed out on a Pikachu, but Belle had bigger problems on her hands. After getting over her initial shock, Ruby grabbed Belle’s hand and dragged her out back so they could speak in a more private setting. Leading Belle to sit on a crate, Ruby popped into the kitchen and came back with a slice of apple pie and two forks. Plopping down next to Belle, Ruby handed her a fork and began: “Ok, Bells tell me what happened?” 

“I’m insane”

“We all are. What’s new? Tell me what happened. You know I won’t stop asking until you tell me.”

“Fine, I broke into Gold’s house”

“WHAT?!” Ruby was temporarily speechless and just stared at Belle incredulously.

“I know! I have no idea what got into me…” and Belle proceeded to tell her everything that happened.

Once Belle had finished her story, Ruby chewed thoughtfully and asked: “Wait, so let me get this straight: Gold didn’t press charges, he didn’t make you enter some nefarious deal, he just asked you not to do it again?”

“Yes. Oh, and to pay for any damages to his door.”

“Ok, not unreasonable… I don’t get it. Why are you so distraught? I understand being surprised and upset that you got so involved in a game that you were willing to break into someone’s house… but besides that, you got away with it! AND you got your Pikachu! So, there has to be something else.”

“No, Ruby that’s it! I just feel horrible. I invaded his personal space! What is wrong with me?! Now, he’ll probably never come back to the library. I don’t blame him. I’d probably avoid the weirdo that broke into my place because of a virtual game…” At this point Belle was just rambling, but Ruby heard something that made her take a double take.

“Hold up. Did you just say you’re upset because he won’t be going to the library anymore?”

“Yeah, he comes in twice a week. We exchange witty comments and then he is on his way. Why?”

“Think about it Belle. Why are you so upset you won’t be seeing Mr.Gold anymore? A man everyone else in town wants to avoid at all costs?”

“Because I like talking to him”

“Do you _like_ him?”

“What? No, of course not! …wait, do I? No, definitely not. I don’t even know him. I just want to be his friend. He seems like a very interesting person.”

“Oook” Ruby still wasn’t convinced but if Belle wasn’t ready to admit it or has yet to realize she has a crush on the pawnbroker, Ruby was willing to let it go. She would just let things between Belle and Gold run their natural course… for now.

“What should I do?”

“Well, honestly you should be thankful you are not down at the station being charged for breaking and entering and just let things go.”

“But I feel like I should apologize more. I really do feel _horrible_. I even broke his _teacup_!”

“Well… I know he really likes Granny’s chocolate cake. How about you take him a slice as an apology?”

“Hmm…that is a good idea!”

“Ok, just let me know what day you plan to head on over to his shop and I’ll make sure to have a slice ready to go”

“Thanks, Ruby you are the best!”

_And if Ruby so happened to slide in two forks, in the hopes that they’ll share, no one had to know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not one of my best chapters. I have no idea why it was so hard for me to write this one. Anyway, don't worry next chapter we shall have some more Pokemon-induced funny situations. Any prompts are more than welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat based on my experience when I first tried to play the game.

Mr.Gold was beginning to regret his decision to approach the town librarian. He had already passed several times by the library and each and every time it was filled with people roaming the stacks, while looking at their smart phones. It was close to a miracle that Gold had managed to work up the courage to seek out Belle French at her place of work in the first place; it was just too much to ask him to do it in front of a rather large audience. So, that is why Mr.Gold was now staring at his phone debating over if he should continue with his plan. He knew he could no longer back out of downloading the game. He had already texted his son that he would download PokemonGo so that all three of them could go pokemon hunting this weekend. Both Bae and Henry seemed to be ecstatic about the idea. Gold could not find it within himself to crush their joy by changing his mind. Mind made up, Gold decided to at least download the game and get a feel for it. He didn’t want to seem like a complete novice in front of the librarian…that is if he ever got the chance to approach her.

_Ok, this can’t be that hard. Enter the apple store and download the app…_  
Insufficient memory storage available. _How can this be? Oh… it must be the amount of pictures I have on my phone._  
 _He knows he could easily delete them all, he already backed them up on his computer and the cloud, but he likes having the ability to look at pictures of his family whenever he wants._  
 _No other choice: I have to go out and buy a memory chip for my phone._  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 **Returns from purchase.**  
 _Ok, now to try this again. Download complete. Excellent._  
 _Open app._  
 _Create Pokemon Trainer Account. Redirects me to Safari to create an account_  
“The Pokemon Trainer Club Website is currently unavailable due to the high traffic the website has currently been experiencing. Please try again later.”  
Gold tosses the phone on the counter. _How many hurtles must I jump to start playing this stupid game?! This is just ridiculous!_  
He takes a deep breath and continues hitting reload until the website finally lets him create account.  
 _Ok, now to pick a trainer name…what should it be…Oh, I’ve got it! Everyone thinks I’m the Beast of Storybrooke why not own up to it?_  
 _What?! How can the “Beast of Storybrooke” possibly be taken?_  
 _Ok, how about Gold?_  
Unavailable  
 _R.Gold_  
Unavailable  
 _Hm…I’ll have to be more creative. Bae always liked when I acted out the tale of Rumplestilskin for him…why not?_  
 _Yes, finally! “Rumplestilskin is my user name”_  
 _Ok, now to sign in to the game._  
 _I have to pick out an outfit for this little man? This is preposterous there aren’t even any suits!_  
 _Ok, let’s go for all black…_  
 _That man does NOT look like a professor to me! Where does he find the time to be that ripped?! Preposterous!_  
 _I can catch pokemon now. FINALLY!_  
 _I just have to walk this way…What are these three creatures that keep following me?! I don’t know which one to pick! How can people find this enjoyable? Just creating an account and signing in has been more stressful than collecting rent!_  
As Gold walks several times from one side of the pawnshop to the other, he realizes that another creature has popped up next to the original three.   
_Isn’t that the yellow pokemon Belle and Henry wouldn’t stop talking about? Why were they so worked up over it? It’s right here when you begin the game._  
Gold clicks on the Pikachu image and finds him sitting on his cash register. He proceeds to aim a pokeball at it and catch it.   
_Gotcha!_  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other side of town, the _Beast of Storybrooke_ , more popularly known as Dopey, celebrates his latest catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts are welcome!


	6. Chocolate Cake and a Request

Belle has paced so many times up and down the sidewalk that she is sure that she has left a mark. The plan was simple: pick up chocolate cake at Granny’s, proceed to Mr.Gold’s pawnshop and apologize once again. But if it was so simple why did she feel like crossing the pawnshop’s threshold required inhuman strength and will? Almost as if a dragon was guarding the pawnbroker’s place of work and one must slay it or outwit it in order to go in and rescue the man within. Rescue? No, more like gain the privilege to speak to the man powerful enough to control the dragon...or maybe Mr.Gold was the dragon guarding the entrace to his treasure trove? He definitely was not a damsel in distress; everyone in Storybrooke would agree with the fact that Mr.Gold was anything but helpless. And… _What is she thinking?! Daydreaming about dragons?! Really Belle, stop procrastinating and just open the door!_

 

Taking a deep breath, straightening her spine, Belle gathered her strength and pushed the door open. She was so focused on not tripping as she stepped into the pawnshop, she nearly jumped when she heard the man in question speak:  
“I was wondering when you were finally going to enter.”

 

“Oh God, you saw me?” this was mortifying.

 

“Indeed I did, dearie. At first, I thought you might be playing that Pokemon game, but as your phone is no where near your hand… Well, I assumed differently”

 

Belle could feel her face heating up; why couldn’t she stop making a fool of herself in front of this man. Rather than risk embarrassing herself further, she decides to place the paper bag, containing the chocolate cake, on the glass counter and not mutter another word until addressed directly. 

 

“And what might this be?”

 

“Chocolate cake”

 

“And what might I ask is the occasion?”

 

“I wanted to apologize once again for what happened on Sunday. I know I crossed a line by entering your home without permission and I want to make it up to you.”

 

“Hmmm.. and would I be correct in guessing that a certain waitress at Granny’s revealed my weakness?”

 

Belle just nodded. 

 

“I see she must really be fond of you because the slice she gave you is rather large... and she seemed to include utensils and plates for two. Did she perhaps not know who this was intended for? Perhaps she thought that you were to share this with your sweetheart?”

 

Belle was going to kill Ruby. She would die a slow and painful death. Did he know about her crush? Wait, crush? She does NOT have a crush on Mr.Gold.

 

“Umm.. I don’t have a boyfriend and Ruby knew I was going to bring this to you. She must have made a mistake.”

 

“Hmm...interesting. Well, since we already have the supplies, do you care to share this cake? I have tea in the back.”

 

“Sure” Ok, so far so good. He doesn’t seem to be angry or believe her to be insane. That’s always a good sign. She has had a couple of embarrassing moments, BUT he invited her to have stay...so, it mustn't have been too off putting. _This is it, Belle. Your opportunity to show Gold you are not some blundering idiot or nutcase. Here goes nothing._

 

As they ate cake and drank tea, they had an animated discussion about books and classic literature. It was surprising how easily the conversation flowed between them. When Belle checked her phone, she couldn’t believe that an hour had already passed. She was just about to start cleaning up to head back to the library, when she was interrupted by Gold:

 

“Belle, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

 

_Is he going to ask me out?_

 

“You see, my son and grandson are going to be staying with me this weekend-”

 

“Wait! You have a son AND a grandson?! You don’t look old enough”

 

_“Oh, well. It was good while it lasted. This is the part where she will be running for the hills because who wants to get involved with someone with a grandson. Wait “involved”? I’m not asking her out...I am merely just asking for assistance” Gold thought to himself._

 

“Oh, right. I forget you hadn’t yet returned to Storybrooke when we first moved in. Well, let’s just say I started my family at an unconventionally young age”

 

“Ok, sorry for interrupting you. It just took me by surprise, that’s all. So, as you were saying...”

 

“Yes, my son and grandson are coming this weekend and they seem to be very taken with this PokemonGo game. And I wish to be able to be proficient enough to play with them. Since, I know that you play and have done your homework on the game. I was wondering if you could help me out. I would be willing to pay you of course.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’d be glad to help; no payment necessary. It is the least I can do for the man that didn’t call the Sheriff the moment he realized I had broken into his home.”

 

“Thank you very much. I have already downloaded the game, created a Pokemon trainer, and selected my outfit. I’d just need help in the actual game dynamics and terminology.”

 

“Oh, wow! That’s perfect. Well, I get off at 4pm. Would you like to meet up at the park at perhaps 5pm and we can begin? That way I can show you about pokestops, pokegyms, capturing pokemon, etc”

 

“That sounds perfect.”

 

“Ok, see you then. I’d better head off to the library, my lunch break ran a little bit too long.”

 

“Of course! Goodbye, Miss French.”

**Author's Note:**

> Belle forgot it is Sunday. This is why she believes Mr.Gold should be opening up his shop.


End file.
